AleSmith Barrel Aged Decadence 2005

Formerly brewed at AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Old Ale
San Diego, California USA

Serve in English pint, Snifter

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At CT V thanks to ohiodad. Side by side with the regular. Aroma of bourbon with sweetness and brown sugar. Darker than the original decadence by a pretty good amount. Must have absorbed some color from the barrels. Prettty sweet again and almost seemed thicker than the regular. A little smoother with some vanilla coming through.

UPDATED: NOV 14, 2007 Can you believe that one man has brought all of the BA Alesmiths to Columbus? Incredible but true--thanks a ton Scott--that is why you are "The Beerfather". Vanilla, bourbon, and malt aroma. Dark brown in appearance with red highlights. Medium palate supports lots of vanilla and bourbon flavors. Plenty of malt and boozey tastes as well.

Shared at Columbus Tasting V.That makes all 4 B.A.Alesmiths Ohio Dad has shared.Sweet malt ,alcohol and oak in the aroma.Pours a dark cloudy brown with a light head.Vanilla and oak in the flavor.Very full mouthfeel with an oak finish.

Deep ruby brown, thin film of light brown head. Vanilla, alcohol, rummy raisins, caramel sticky bun, overripe alefruit in the aroma. Char, vanilla, and a rich sugary sweetness. Boozy dates and dark alefruit in the finish, with a lingering wisp of vanilla on a wave of final alcohol heat. Mouthfeel is medium, thick without being overly sticky, somewhat hot still.

Bottle shared at the Columbus Tasting V with a big thanks to OhioDad for bringing it and Foolish_Mortal for trading with him: Brown with a white head. Aroma, vanilla, oak, some fruits, raisins, caramel, and a bit of bourbon. Flavor, oaky, vanilla, caramel, a lot of sweetness. Great rich malts in this, some bourbon. We got to do this side by side with the regular Decadence, and you could really see the change, and it’s a really nice change.

Had this at the Columbus tasting...shared by OhioDad. Sampled right beside a regular bottle of decadence. This beer was surprisingly much darker than the regular version. LOTS of vanilla, oak, toasted wood, and boozy bourbon notes in the nose of this beer. The flavors were very nice as well with lots of caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, and other very rich, smooth, and sweet tastes come throughout the beer that were nice and complex. Alesmith really knows how to barrel aging a beer correctly without overdoing it.

Sampled at Columbus tasting with Non BA decadence. Poured dark brown with tan head. Tasted very "Scotch" like to me. Very strong. Not quite my style, but very smooth non the less!

750ml bottle from a trade with Foolish_Mortal! - Thanks Brandon- Shared at Columbus Tasting V and drank next to a sample of non BA Decadance - Pours Dark brown much darker in color than the Decadance with a nice tan head that leaves some lace. Aromas of vanilla, oak, caramel, bourbon and chocolate. Flavor is full of vanilla and oak, with caramel, bourbon and chocolate also present. Quite smooth on the palate and amazingly more smooth than the original. This is a great example of how a barrel can really improve a beer. Fantastic stuff!! Very tasty!! Alesmith really does their barrel aging right!

UPDATED: JUN 22, 2007 I’m gonna start this years ratings off with a special beer. 250/280. Pours a very dark brownish/ruby color with no foam. Very strong woody aromas, along with some pronounced whiskey. Strong whiskey flavors up front, somewhat boozy. Rich roasted dark fruitiness. Very full flavored and silky smooth. A little sweeter than I would have liked. A tad hot as well. Will have to try another one next year to see how it’s coming along.

Much better than the original, for me personally. Took an average thick beer and made it into a great one. Balanced flavors of wood and malt. Perception of bitterness may be stronger due to wood tannins and dryness from the bourbon. More burnt sugar, more clarity, more flavor overall, more better.